ROCKY Collection

[sauron]

QUOTE (WeakySneasel @ Jan 24 2017, 07:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ouch! I just fell off my chair! Oh My Goodness - wow, really? You'll be telling us you've never seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! next. You must be very young Sarron! And, I think you're right about the numbers, but I think I've gone too small now.

Haha! You're right, I've not seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang I wasn't even a consideration to my parents when that came out!

Yeah you've definitely gone too small now, just a little larger and it will look better

[Fidi]

Uh, that's really cutting your options.

Have you ever thought about moving to a different software? If you don't want to spend your money for Photoshop, GIMP might be worth a look or even a try?

[sauron]

Or you could try Affinity Photo which is a good alternative for Photoshop and is onl £38.99 at the moment - https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/

[WeakySneasel]

Ah! Thanks, you guys, but now I hate you! Now I've got no excuses! If I get some proper software I'll wow myself; get addicted; start taking this stuff far too seriously; spend far too much time on my covers; never get any proper work done...
Are you trying to help or ruin my life?
Right! I'm going to abandon this cover, for now; finish upgrading the rest of my old covers (I've another 40-or-so to weed out low res photos from); then get to work choosing one of those things and learn how do use it properly. Then you'll regret helping me! Ha!!!

[WeakySneasel]

...that Affinity Photo program looks cool.

[sauron]

It does look pretty cool, plus it's meant to be a lot quicker than Photoshop so win win I still need to have a play around with it.

[WeakySneasel]

QUOTE

I still need to have a play around with it.[/quote]
I'll be nagging you for tips soon then! It looks like it'll be fun to play with.

The software programs I was used to - I retired in 2008 (aged 43) - were for engineering and construction design, so although the architectural elements were highly visually effective (for that time at least) they were only really intended to help make my designs look like they'd already been built. So while somewhat competent with a computer, I've little experience manipulating photos the way you guys do here. The software - and the computer needed to run it - had cost tens of thousands. 'Photoshop' was something architects would 'mess around' with and it was our by-word for 'cheap and nasty'!

How things have changed that I now see Photoshop as a bit too upmarket for my needs. And, needless to say, even the 4-year-old computer I'm writing this on is quicker and more advanced than that, then state-of-the-art machine - was, from only five years earlier.

Nowadays I just play 'computers' in my spare time, being otherwise busy as a single parent, and landlord (property not publican). But I'll be playing soon and pestering you for tips, instructions and advice aplenty, no doubt!

Thank you.

Meanwhile, I'm rethinking the Rocky stuff a little further - same style but more minimalist, with a similar front on each one. I'm not happy with the font on the spines either and may go back to something closer to my original font.

[sauron]

QUOTE (WeakySneasel @ Jan 26 2017, 10:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll be nagging you for tips soon then! It looks like it'll be fun to play with.

The software programs I was used to - I retired in 2008 (aged 43) - were for engineering and construction design, so although the architectural elements were highly visually effective (for that time at least) they were only really intended to help make my designs look like they'd already been built. So while somewhat competent with a computer, I've little experience manipulating photos the way you guys do here. The software - and the computer needed to run it - had cost tens of thousands. 'Photoshop' was something architects would 'mess around' with and it was our by-word for 'cheap and nasty'!

How things have changed that I now see Photoshop as a bit too upmarket for my needs. And, needless to say, even the 4-year-old computer I'm writing this on is quicker and more advanced than that, then state-of-the-art machine - was, from only five years earlier.

Nowadays I just play 'computers' in my spare time, being otherwise busy as a single parent, and landlord (property not publican). But I'll be playing soon and pestering you for tips, instructions and advice aplenty, no doubt!

Thank you.

Meanwhile, I'm rethinking the Rocky stuff a little further - same style but more minimalist, with a similar front on each one. I'm not happy with the font on the spines either and may go back to something closer to my original font.

I think it's pretty similar to Photoshop so I should be able to pick it up pretty quickly, all depends when I get the time and how long I can spend on the computer without my wrist playing up (I suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury, due to the many hours I used to spend on a computer). I also need to purchase it as I had the beta version but only opened it and that was it.

[WeakySneasel]

QUOTE

I suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury[/quote] I used to have this problem. Having been predominantly a CAD draughtsman, I was at the computer all day, every day. But, fortunately, I'm ambidextrous so I permanently switched the mouse to my left hand and use raised worktop so I can keep my elbows lower. If I ever feel uncomfortable I just switch hands for a while - until I'm comfortable again.

Back to the WIP...
This is where my head is at for the moment. What I think I'm aiming for is something fairly minimalist; uncluttered; a matching set; a change of font (at least for the spine).

Anyway, I tend to find, when I've got no clear direction and am thrashing around making drastic changes, I need to put the cover on the back burner for a few weeks and come back to it later - you must have all been there too? Usually, this clears my head and the cover turns out just fine. Well, I'm getting happier with it, but not happy enough to continue at the moment, so I'll come back to it at a later date.

Thanks for the help, and by all means keep pitching in, you may inspire me to revisit it sooner.

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[sauron]

Ahh you're lucky! Wish I could even write a sentence with my left hand let alone design artwork.

We all have to have a break from something sometimes and then come back to it fresh with new ideas - One thing I would say is try and limit the amount of different fonts you use on the cover, obviously things on the templates are fine but anything else like actor names, titles, sub titles etc... should be one or 2 max... you can sometimes push it to 3 if it works well